Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik break up: What went wrong

On Tuesday, after fans discovered that Malik had unfollowed Gigi and her mother, Yolanda, on Instagram and The Sun reported that the couple had parted ways as a result of their conflicting, busy schedules, Malik took to Twitter to confirm the news.

"Gigi and I had an incredibly meaningful, loving and fun relationship and I have a huge amount of respect and adoration for Gigi as a woman and a friend," he wrote. "She has such an incredible soul. I'm grateful to all of our fans for respecting this difficult decision and our privacy at this time, we wish this news could have come from us first. We love you all. xZ"

Hadid and Malik had been happily dating for over two years, but their globe-trotting romance ultimately couldn't handle the strain brought on by their diverging work commitments.

See photos of Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik together:

"Sadly Zayn and Gigi have separated," a source told The Sun. "They are no longer a couple but they do remain close and are supportive of each other. The reality is that they’ve grown apart, having been together for a long time."

"They have crazy work schedules that would put pressure on any relationship," the source continued. "This is definitely the end for now, but this isn’t a bitter split and they both have respect for each other. It’s a mutual decision so no one has completely ruled out a reunion in the future, but for now that’s not where their heads are at."

Though Zayn unfollowed Gigi and Yolanda, Gigi still follows her ex.

Earlier on Tuesday, Zayn posted a cryptic selfie on Instagram that hinted at the split. He captioned the photo, "When Life throws you lemons , catch em so they don’t hit you in the f--king face."

The couple started dating back in the fall of 2015 after meeting at a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show after party following Hadid's relationship with Joe Jonas and Malik's broken-off engagement to Little Mix member Perrie Edwards. The band later released "Shout Out to My Ex," which was largely considered to be a diss track aimed at the former One Direction star.

Gigi starred in the music video for Zayn's debut solo single, "PILLOWTALK," in January 2016. Zayn resides in Los Angeles, while Gigi is based out of New York.